Tuesday, June 12, 2012

RIP MCA

May 4th- I had to do some shopping. I strapped my daughter in her car seat and jumped up front. I started the car and the radio came on. What I heard was the announcer beginning to say, 'Sad news today. We have just gotten word that MCA of the Beastie Boys died this morning from cancer. He was 47.'

I love the Beastie Boys. License to Ill was the soundtrack to the summer I graduated from high school. I drove around in my red VW pick up truck all summer, blaring that cassette. My freshman year roommate- who quickly became my lifelong best girlfriend- also loved that album. We have it memorized and can still sing all the words to all of the songs.

License to Ill was just the beginning of course. They only got better from there. Check Your Head is a big personal favorite. I vividly remember watching the video, So Whatcha Want, in my Oakland apartment and being blown away. They were smart and talented and continuously grew as musicians throughout their career. MCA was a kind and caring man with a wife and daughter and his death was a huge loss on many different levels. He was too young.

I had to call Alecia. While I drove we talked about the death of MCA and how awful it was. Cancer. It is a bitch. It felt strange, talking about MCA dying of cancer the same week that I got my cancer diagnosis. Different cancers of course, but strange nonetheless.